Pepper Soup

Yes, another Roasted Bell Pepper recipe, but a “Chilled” one this time. Those of you who regularly visit me must have already realized that I am fascinated with bell peppers.
Not only am I fascinated, I have to ‘fess up that I hoard them. Whenever I go to get grocery, I buy a few & roast them & refrigerate or chop & freeze them; I just have to have some at home. As I was planning for dinner, I was contemplating a soup, but at this heat the thought of a steaming bowl of soup did not really appeal. I would rather make something light & cool. The roasted bell peppers in the jar peaked at me from the corner of my refrigerator & here it is the “Chilled Bell Pepper Soup.”

Wonderfully colorful, flavorful & creamy, this was just what I needed to have. The swirly worly in the soup is not cream, I have used some thick yogurt & water blended together to form the “cream” & also for some slight tang in this chilled soup.. Overall it was a soup to swoon for.

Pepper (Capsicum) Soup

Ingredients: (serves 2)

1 Tablespoon butter or Olive Oil

2 Red Bell Pepper/Capsicum (or 2 cups ready roasted bell peppers)

1/4 Cup Scallions,chopped (white part only)

2 Tablespoons Celery, chopped

2 Tablespoons Thick Yogurt

1/4 Cup Water

Salt & Pepper (Preferably white) to taste

1/4 Teaspoon Sugar

Parsley minced for garnish (or any other fresh herb you would like to use)

Preparation:

Roasting the Peppers:

If you are not using store bought ready made roasted red peppers, you will have to roast them:

On gas range stove tops: turn the burners on high and place the peppers directly onto the grates/flame. Using tongs, turn the peppers around till they are evenly charred or blackened.

On Grill: Peppers can be roasted on the grill too in the same way as above.

To broil the peppers in the oven: Cut them in halves & place them peel side up in a broiler pan. Broil for about 10 minutes or until peppers are charred/blistered.

As soon as the peppers are blackened all over, place them in a bowl and cover the bowl with a plate or with plastic wrap. or put them inside a ziploc bag. Let cool.

When cooled, peel the blistered skin off peppers, discard the seeds and cut them into strips.

(To store them, add oil & salt & store them in a jar in the refrigerator. For flavor, add garlic and herbs to the oil.)

To make the soup:

Melt the butter/Olive Oil in a pan. Add the onions, celery, scallions & roasted peppers to the oil & and sauté the vegetables over low hear for about 10 minutes until they are very soft but not browned.

Add about 1.5 cups of water (or broth if you want), salt & sugar, bring the ingredients in the to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer the mixture for about 30 minutes. (Note: add more water/broth if you want your soup thinner)

Once cooked & the peppers are soft, cool the mixture & blend them to a smooth puree a blender or food processor. Transfer the pureé to a bowl, and let it cool.

Whisk together the yogurt & the 1/4 cup of water well, to a smooth non lumpy mix. Stir in half of the yogurt mix in the soup, and chill the soup thoroughly.

Ladle the chilled soups to the serving bowl. Spoon some of the yogurt mixture in each soup cup & & gently swirl it. season with pepper & chopped herbs, and garnish with parsley/any other herb, if you wish.

Serve with Croutons or bread.

I am kind of biased; I like anything with roasted red peppers. Believe me, this was good! I do not make cold soups very often, but the velvety, aromatic, pretty soup was delightful so right for a warm summer evening.
Sending this to No Croutons Required, hosted by Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes. The Theme is Peppers.

haaa..yummm..does that soup bowl look like a pretty painting to anyone??,or is it just me?..havent tried cold soups ever n yes yes am partial to red peppers..will do this one..hot mebe..as it is rain n cold here..:)

At first glance I thought that first photo was a painting! I see I am not the only one with that thought too. How beautiful and colorful it looks. Great idea too to use this as a cold soup. The only cold soup I’ve ever had was gazpacho but this looks great!

I love capsicum and I just love them when they are roasted. They taste so much flavoursome when they are char grilled. I’ve never made them into soup, though and this is the first recipe of capsicum soup I’ve ever encountered. Interesting.
I would say that roasted pepper soups are usually done in combination with tomatoes or roasted tomatoes & served warm like a regular soup. I could not get myself to have a hot soup at this time:-) I added the buttermilk for the same reason too.. kind of a cooling light effect.

Growing up, I was never fond of bell peppers. Even now, I am not so crazy about them raw, but I do love them roasted with those bits of char on them. Lovely, lovely recipe, Soma. As you know, I recently made a similar soup. Would like to try this, though. Sometimes you need a rest from the heat. ; )

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